Process for emulsifying oil or asphalt



D. J. McSWINEYL PROCESS FOR EMULSIFYING OIL OR ASPHALT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1920.

Patented July 19, 1921.

in 067210 I aid?- DAIil'IEL J'. MOSWINEY, OF CHELSEA, -MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO FRANCIS .iB. MULLIN, OF WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROCESS FOR IElMULSIFYING- OIL OR ASPHALT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 19, 1921.

Application filed March 5, 1920. Serial No. 363,458.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. DANIEL J. McSwIxEY. a citizen of the United States, and resident of.Chelsea. in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Process for Emulsifying Oil or Asphalt. of which the following is a specification.

The main object of my invention is to provide an emulsion which is more uniform and durable than those heretofore known and which is also cheap to manufacture.

My invention consists primarily in a continuous process for emulsifying an oil or asphalt or similar material and in the preferred form it consists in the conduction or passage of an emulsifiving material, such as soap or soap solution throu h a suitable container and the gradual addition to the emulsifying material of the material to be emulsified .while the former is passing through the container. I also prefer to have said addition uniform as well as gradual and to provide that at no place during said passage shall the volume of the material to be emulsified amount to .more than four times the volume of the material which is to accomplish the emulsification.

A feature is a machine for carrying .out said process, primarily including mechanism which not only conveys the material through the container but also and at the same time thoroughly mixes the ingredients.

Other features will be pointed outbelow.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a machine for carrying out my process:

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In my process the soap or soap solution or similar material is fed in at one end of the container and an amount of oil less than 4 times its volume is added to it. The oil and soap are mixed thoroughly by a mixing arrangement in the contamer, and while being mixed they are conducted away from the end of the container to another point where more oil is being fed into the container. Before, however, the oil and soap reach this second point they should be so thoroughly mixed that the oil that has been first added to the soap is changed to an emulsified condition. At the second pointa quantity of oil approximately equal to that first added is added to fed into the reservoir.

way similar to that in which the addition of oil is carried out, that is to say, the emulsion may be passed through a similarcontainer and water gradually added in a way similar to that described fdr the addition of the oil.

It can be readily seen that themechanical arrangement for carrying out this process may take many forms The container used may consist of a cylinder or of a series of cylinders in communication with each other, or it may be conical in shape. If cylinders be used they may be worked in a vertical, horizontal or inclined position.

The addition of oil to the mixer or container may be continuous, semicontinuous or discontinuous. The addition of oil may be made continuous by feeding the oil to the container through a slit in the side of the container running in the direction of flow of the soap and oil mixture in the container. The oil may be fed through the slitfrom a reservoir connected to the container throughout its length. In order that the feeding of the oil through the slit into the container may be uniform, the slitcan be made to increase in width as it becomes more distant from the point at which the oil or asphalt is This method of feed ing the oil or asphalt into the container will give very good results. It 'will probably glve a more perfect emulsion and one with a scientifically perfect emulsion is not, usually. as good for road work as one which is only partially perfect. This latter objection may be largely overcome by using only a short slit, but this does not allow the degree of control'thatcan be obtained by other I methods of feeding.

The feeding of the oil may be made semi- I very good results.

. soap or soap are added.

-The most critical point in the manufacthe separate additions be approximately equal in volume a e-., that no addition .of oil be more than twice the volume of any other addition of oil; second, that the oil be added in at least five separate additions; and third that the amount of oil in each addition be not more than 4 times the volume of soap or soap and oil mixture to which it be added.

In order that the. first requirement be met,-

I will use-the feeding arrangement shown in the drawing which I have found to give The only difference in amount of oil fed into the separate pipes, if each pipe has the same diameter, is occa sioned by difference in length of pipe or in presence of bends, etc, and this difference can be very easily controlled; It is inadvisable to feed the oil into a pipe running the length of the mixer, and from which side pipes lead into the mixer, for in such a case the side pipe nearest the feed will receive very much more than the other side pipes, and the other side pipes after the third or fourth nearest the feed will receive but very little oil. The amount of oil added to the mixer will be 25-35 times the amount of soap addml. If the amount of oil added to the soap or to a soap and oil mixture be 4 times the amount of the soap or soap and oil mixture it will be very difficult to emulsify' the oil. If then the oil be added to the container in less than five separate additions some of these additions will amount to more than 4 times the and oil mixture to which they ture of an emulsion is the beginning of the emulsification. The amount of oil added to the soap for the beginnin of the emulsion should never be more t an 4 times the amount of the soap. In the same manner the separatefeeds should preferably be at sucha distance from each other that the oil fed at one point will be emulsified before reaching the, next feeding point. For example, suppose a gallon of soap or .of soap and oil mixture passes through the container. It reaches a point where oil is being fed into the container and requires some time to be conducted past this point. In the time required for this gallon of soap or soap andoil mixture to pass this point the amount of oil fed to it at this point should not be more than times its volumez'. a, in this case the amount of oil fed into the container at this point during the time it takes for the gallon of soap or of soap and oil mixture to pass this oint should not be more than 4 gallons. oreover, before this gallon of soapor soap and oilmixture reaches the next point-at which oil is being fed into the container, the oil fed at the first point should be thoroughly mixed and emulsified. This is especially true if the oil is being added to the container in only a small number of additions. 'I have found that if the oil be added uniformly tov the container and in more than ten separate additions the amount of soap required may be materially reduced.

The oil is usually fed into the container through the wall of the container, but it may, instead, be fed into the container through the mixing mixing. arrangement.

I have found that a very eflicie-nt mixing and emulsification can be obtained. by using a; series of metal strips, running in the direction of the flow of the material in the shaft, or through the container and attached to metal rods connected to the mixing shaft;

The mixing arrangement preferably serves as the means of conveying the soap or the soap and oil mixture through the mixer from one point offeed to the next. This -'result can be obtained by having the rubahead of that part of the mixing arrange ment nearest the point at which the emulslon leaves the mixer.

A pump should preferably not be used for I the purpose of conducting or forcingthe soap or the soap and oil mixture through the container from ondpoint of feed to the next. The function of the pump is simply to supply to the mixer soap or soap solution-and oil or asphalt, in a definite ratio. In an'emulsion to be used for road worlz, the soap or soap solution is always the dlspersion means and the oil or asphalt is the dispersed phase. The ratio of dry soa to oil or asphalt in the emulsion as or inarily made is about 1 :30 or 1:35. Emulsions are always unstable systems, but. they are espe cially unstablewhen the ratio between dispersion means and dispersed phase is as low asit is in this case. If'this ratio of soap to oil' or asphalt be increased the cost of the emulsion increases and its quality decreases; for the soap is the most expensive material used in the emulsion, and the more soap the oil or asphalt be decreased the emulsion will, in most cases, separate, become worthless and have to be worked over a in.

From this it is evident that a definite ratio of supply of soap-and oil or asphalt to the container should be maintained.v The pumps supplying the soap and oil or asphalt to the container should be geared together and run so as to deliver to the container, soap and oil or asphalt in the ratio desired. More over, any condition that tends to interfere with the action of the pumps in delivering the soap and oil or asphalt in the desired ratio should be avoided. The condition most likely to interfere with this operation is a back pressure exerted on the pumps from some condition existing in the mixer or in the connections between the pumps and the mixer. A back pressure will be exerted on the pumps, if the pumps be relied upon to force the soap and oil mixture through the,

container. hIoreover, this back pressure will not be a constant one. Durin theprocess of emulsification the soap an oil mixture changes from a comparatively thin fluid to a condition that is often practically that of a stiff solid. The stiffness obtained by the mixture will'depend upon the character of the oil, the temperature ofthe oil and soap, the character of the soap, the rate at which the oil is fed ino the mixture and the rateat which the oil and soap is mixed, etc. The back pressure exerted on the pumps will vary according to the degree of stiffness obtained by the mixture during the process of emulsification. The back pressure will be exerted on both the oil and the soap pumps. but its effect will be felt more on the soap pump which is usually by far the smaller of 40 the two, and hereits action will be .the most disadvantageous for only a slight difference in the-pumping of the soap will usually make a great di erence in the emulsification.

A back pressure on the pumps may also be caused by having the actuating surfaces of the mixing arrangement so revolve as to throw the mixture outward toward the wall of the container and the points of feed of the oil into the container. To avoid this it is desirable that the rubbingsurface of the arrangement a". e. the surface opposed to the mixture during the revolution of the mixing arrangement should be so arranged as to throw the mixture inward during revo-' lut-ion.

It is not necessary that the container be kept full during the operation of the process, so long as the soap and oil are being fed into the mixer in a constant ratio. In most cases, however. it is desirable that the container be kept substantially full in order that the finished emulsion may be uniform in quality. 'This result can be obtained by having the outlet from thecontainer at the highest point of the container, by having the outlet pipe leave from the top of the con-' tainer, by having the outletpipe so arranged that part of it is higher than the top of the container, by having the container in an inclined position so that the exit end be higher than the entrance end, or by placing within the container, overflow artitions, with the ope near the top 0? the container, and over w ich the emulsion must pass before leaving the container, the last being the method I prefer.

It is evident that as the soap and oil mix ture passes through the container, it constantly increases in volume, so that the amount of material leaving the mixer will amount to 20 to 30 times the amount of soap entering the mixer at the other end. Accordingly if the mixer be of uniform size throughout its length, the material within I it will be moving or should be moving 20 to 30 times as fast at one end of the mixer as it is at the other end. In order to attain the samerate of speed of the material throughout the mixer, a conical mixer might be used. A similar result canbe obtained by having the mixer made up of sections of pipe of gradually increasing diameter by using a series of separate containers each of which is larger than the preceding one'as explained below, or by having the conveying arrangement so made as to convey at a speed in converse ratio to the volume of material.

In a mixer of uniform size throughout this difference might be avoided by having the conveying arrangement so constructed as to convey at a speed in inverse proportlon to the volume of the material and to have the distance between the points of feed of the oil into the mixer so increase that the 0]]. fed

at one point would be completely emulsified before the next point was reached.

For, then, the most successful and efficient operation of the process, the soap should be fed in at one end of the mixer and conducted through the mixer while the o l should be fed gradually to the soap as 1t passes through the mixer, the whole being stirred and mixed thoroughly during the operation. The addition of the oil to the soap should be preferably madegradually and uniformly. If the addltion of the 01 be discontinuous the addition of 20 or mor parts of oil to one part of dry soap should take place in at least five separate additions, and no one of these additions should amount to more than four times the volume of the material to which it be added, 11. e. the amount of oil passed through one point of feed into the mixer during a unit length of time should have a volume loss than four, times the volume of the soap or the soap" and oil mixture that passes that point during the same unit of time; moreover, that the rate of conduction of the material through the mixer, the spacing of the points pressure onthe through which the oil is added, and the rate. and manner of the mixing of the material should preferably be such that as the material comes to a point in the mixer where'the oil isbeing fed into the mixer, this material should contain no unmixed or unemulsified oil .which was fed. to it at some previous point. The function of the pumps should be merely to feed oil and soap into'the mixer in a definite and constant ratio. The conduction of the material through the mixer and the mixing of this material should preferably be so arranged as to exert no back pumps. It is not necessary that the container be kept full' during the process of emulsification; in order, however, that the most efficient operation be attained it is advisable that this be done. The addition of water to the emulsion of soap and oil in order to dilute it, can be brought about in an apparatus andin a manner similar to those used for the emulsification.

The type of mixer I prefer to use in carrying out my process consists of a series of seven cylindricalmetal containers, each be ing in'communication with" the next in the series. illustrate in the drawing all these containers. The oil or asphalt supply pipe'A may be controlled by a suitable pump (not shown) andleading from said pipe is an overflow pipe A', pipe A leading to the main oil or asphalt reservoir B, from which 1 lead the main oil or 6 b and b", each leading to one of the first asphalt feed pipes b b five of the seven containers above referred to. The feed pipe b, for example, is controlled by valve 6 and has branches 1) and b, one leading to the oil or asphalt reservoir D and the other to reservoir D, small asphalt feed pipes d leading from reservoir D- to the conta'mer E and small oil or ashalt feed pipes (1' leading from'reservoir to said container. The first 'five containers are of progressively increasing diameter to take care of the increasing volume of- 'the' material, are connected by Ipipes b 6, b b 6 with main reservoir and are forthe emulsification-o'f the soap and oil,

'while the last two of the seven above referred to are for the addition of water to The containers are preferably in a horizontal position, the soap or soap solution being fed in by pipe F controlled by pump F'. Each container of the seven, of which I illustrate one, has a rotary shaft E to which are rigidly connected a series of radial arms (2 e e e and e and another series a e e" e and 6, each of said arms extending radially nearly to the wall of the container, arm e being diametrically opposite arm 6 and so on with the other arm's. A metal strip 9, beveled as shown, is fastened to the. outer end of arms 6 to 6* and a similar strip g to the outer end of I have thought it unnecessary to arms 6 to e. Asimilar strip g is fastened to arms 6 to e a; little nearer to the shaft and a similar strip g is fastenedto'afms e to 6 Similar strips gand g are also attached to arms e to e and other similar strips 9 and g are attached to arms 6 to e". In Figs. 1 and 3 I show only strips 9 and 9 because the showing of the other strips might confuse the showing in those figures.

partitions.

The shaft E may be rotated by any suitable gearing and in order that the strips may act not only as mixers, but also, and simultaneously, as conveyers of the material through the container, they are helical and are revolved so that the parts of the strips nearest the inlet F precede inrevolution the parts nearest the partition.

At the same time, the surface of the metal strips opposed to the mixture during revolution is not parallel to an axis of the revolving shaft but at an angle to it, so that the mixture is thrown inward during the revolution of the shaft.

As, in order that the material in the mixer be mixed quickly. and thoroughly, the shaft will be revolved at a rather highspeed, it is well that the mixing strips in running from one end of the container to the other do not turn through too great an angle, otherwise the material will be conducted too rapidly through the mixer. A turn of the strips through about 90 degrees will be sufficient.

-process as compared, for example, with a batch process,1s that the more durable and uniform.

Another advantage is that the -mixing is very efficiently done, particularly because of the reasons already given and also because the spacing of the strips permits a great amount of rubbing of the ingredients one upon the other and also rubbing on the surfaces of the strips themselves;

What I claim is:

'1'. The process of emulsification consisting in passing emulsifying'material through a container and gradually adding to it the material .to be emulsified, said addition be.- ing such that at no place during saidpas sage shall the volume of material to be product is much;

emulsified amount to more than four times the volume of the emulsifying material.

2. The process of emulsification consisting in passing emulsifying material through a container continuously, and gradually add- 7 ing to it the material to be emulsified, said addition being such that atno place during said passage shall the volume of material to be emulsified amount to more than four times the volume of the emulsifying material.

3.The process of emulsifieation consisting in passing through a container saponaceous material having suflicient water to enable it to act as an emulsifying agent and gradually adding to it bituminous material, said addition being such that at no place during said passage shall the volume of unmixed or unemulsified bituminous material amount to more than four times the volume of the saponaceous material.

4. The process of emulsification consisting. in passing continuously through a container saponaceous material having suflicient water to enable it to act as an emulsifyingv agent and gradually adding to it bituminous material, said addition being such that at no place during said passage shall the volume of unmixed or unemulsified bituminous material amount to more than four times the volume of the saponaceous material. a a

5. The process of emulsification consisting in feeding to a' container saponaceous material having sufiicient water to enable it to act as an emulsifying agent and adding to it an amount of bituminous material less 1 than four times the volume of the saponaceous material, then passing the materials along in the container to another point,

mixing them during said passing until the bituminous material is changed to anipmulsified condition, then at said point; adding to the mixturea quantity of bituminous material approximately equal to the quantity first added, thenpassing the materials along in the container to another point, mixing them during the last-mentioned passing until the bituminous material is changed to an emdsifiedcondition and repeating until there has been added to the saponaceous material as great an amount of bituminous material as it-will emulsi'Iy.

6. The process of emulsification consistin}; in ieegling to a container saponaceous materialhaving suflicient Water to enable it to act as an emulsifying agent and adding an amount of bituminous material less than four times the volume off.-the saponaceous material, then passing the materials along in the container to, another point, mixingtheni during said passing until the bituminous material is changed to an emulsified =condition, then at said point adding to'the mixture a quantity of bituminous four times the volume of the saponaceous emulsify.'

material approximately equal to the quantity first added, then pa 1 the materials along in the container to am) her point, mixing them during the last-mentioned passing until the bituminous material is changed to an emulsified condition and repeating until there has been added to the saponaceousmaterial as great an amount of bituminous material as it will emulsify and then passing the material through another container and gradually adding water during the lastmentioned passing.

7. The process of emulsification consisting in passing through a container saponaceous material having suflicient water to enable it to act as an emulsifying agent and adding bituminous material in at least five separate additions, substantially equal in volume, each addition being not more: than material or of the saponaceous and bitu minous mixture to which it is added, and mixing the materials dur' said passing:

8. The "process of emulsification consist-. ing in feeding continuously to a container saponaceous material having suflicient water to enable it to act as an emulsifying agent and adding to it an amount of bituminous material less than four times the volume of the saponaceous material, then passing the materials along in the container to another point, mixing them during said passing until the bituminous material is changed to an'emulsified condition, then at said point adding to the mixture a quantity of bituminous material approximately equal to the quantity first added, then passing the materials along in the container -to another point, mixing them during, the last-mentioned passing until the bituminous mate- 'rial is changed to an emulsified condition and repeating until therehas been added to the saponaceous material as great .an amount of bituminousmaterial as it will I10 9. The process of emulsification consisting in feeding continuously to a container saponaceous material having sufficient water to enable it to act as an emulsifying agent and adding an amount of bituminous material less. than four times the volume of the saponaceous material, then assing the ma.- terials along the container to another point, mixing them during said passing until the bituminous material is changed to an emulsifi'ed condition, then at said pointadding to the mixture a quantity of-bituminous material approximately equal to the. quan-' tity first added, then passing the materials along in the container to another point, mix- 1% ing them durin the last-mentioned passing until the bitummous-material ischanged to an emulsified condition and repeating until there has been added to the saponaceous material as great an of bituminous ma: 13o

terial as it will emulsify and then passing the material through another container and I gradually adding water during the lastminous material consisting in feeding to a container saponaceous material having suflicient water to enable it to act as an emulsifying agent and adding to ita.portion of the bituminous material, then passing the materials. along in the container to another rial along in the container to another point, mixing them during said passage until the bituminous material is changed to an emulsifiedcondition, then at said point adding another portion of the bituminous material, then passing the materials along in the container to another point mixing them during said passage until the bituminous material is changed to an emulsified condition andrepeating until there has been added to the saponaceous material as great an amount of bituminous material as it Will emulsifyi 12. The process of emulsification of bitu minous material consisting in feeding to a container saponaceousvmaterial having sufiicient Water to enable it to act as an emulsifying'agent and adding to it a portion of the bituminous material, then passlng the matepoint, mixing them during said passage until the bituminous material is changed to an emulsified condition, then at said point adding another portion of the bituminous material,

then passing the materials along in the container to another point mixing them during said passage until the bituminous material is changed to an emulsified condition and repeating untilthere, has been added tothe saponaceous material as great an amount of bituminous material as it will emulsify, and

' then passing the material through another container and gradually adding water during the last-mentioned passing.

13. The process of emulsification consisting mixin in passing through a container saponaceous material having sufiicient Water to enable it to act as an emulsifying agent and adding bituminous material in at least five separate additions, substantially equal in volume, and mixing the materials duringsaid passing.

14. The process of emulsification of bituminous material consisting in continuously feeding to a container saponaceous material having sufiicient Water to enable it to act as an emulsifying agent and adding to it a portion of the bituminous material, then passing the materials along in the container to another point, mixing them during said passage until the bituminous material is changed to an emulsified condition, then at said point adding another portion of the bituminous material, then passing the material along in the container to another point them during said passage until the bltllllllIlOllSlIlfltGllEtl is changed to an emulsified condition and repeating until there has been added to the saponaceous material as great an amount of bituminous material as it will emulsify. I

A 15. The process of emulsification of bituminous material consisting in feeding continuously to a container saponaceous material having suiiicient water to enable it to act as an emulsifying agent and adding to it a portion of the bituminous material, then passing the materials along in the container to another point, mixing them during said passage until the bituminous material is changed to an emulsified condition, then at said point adding another portion of the bituminous material, then passing the materials along in the container to another point mixing them during said passage untll the bituminousmaterial is' changed to an emulsified condition and repeating until there has been added to the saponaceous material as great an amount of bituminous material as it will emulsify and then passing the material through another container and gradually adding water during the last-mentioned passing. I

16. The process of emulsification consisting in passing continuously through a container saponaceous. material having sufficient vvater to enable it to act as an emulsifying agent and adding bituminous material in at least five separate additions, substantially equal in volumes, and mixing the materials during said passing.

DANIEL J. McSWINEY. 

